Residence Permit NOT Cancelled

This was not a simple case. Our client received an additional information request from the Finnish Immigration Service stating that the authority was considering cancelling their residence permit.

The concern was based on a criminal conviction for aggravated drunk driving. The matter had already been handled by the District Court, where our client had received a suspended sentence, a fine, and the required payments to the State. The mistake was serious, and it was never treated lightly.

But immigration law does not allow the authority to look at one fact alone and ignore everything else.

The real question was whether our client still represented a present danger to public order or security. That is where the distinction had to be made. A criminal conviction can be relevant, but it does not automatically mean that a person’s residence permit must be cancelled. The authority must still look at the full situation, the time that has passed, the person’s conduct after the incident, their studies, their integration, and whether the measure would be proportionate.

We prepared a detailed response explaining that this was an isolated incident, not a pattern of behaviour. Our client had accepted responsibility, had not committed further offences, was continuing their studies, and had built a stable life in Finland through education and lawful employment. The response also made clear that the grounds for the residence permit still existed and that cancellation would be a disproportionate reaction to a matter that had already been punished by the District Court.

The Finnish Immigration Service agreed.

On 16 June 2026, the Finnish Immigration Service decided not to cancel our client’s residence permit. The authority accepted that, although the offence had been serious, our client did not represent a current threat to public order or security at the time of the decision.

This result matters because it shows that immigration cases involving criminal matters must be handled carefully. A mistake can have consequences, but those consequences must remain lawful, proportionate, and connected to the person’s actual situation at the time of the decision.

Our client keeps their residence permit. Their studies continue. Their life in Finland continues.

And that is the correct outcome.